HM Whole Wheat Tortilla's .85
Smashed Black Beans .50
Rice .50
Grated Mozzarella (4 oz) .65
Salsa .50
Lettuce .50
Carrots .75
Lunch total $4.25 (+milk, $1.00)
Tortilla's (I use a recipe similar to this one
3 cups Whole Wheat Flour .40
1 1/8 cup water Free
1 Tbs + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (.10) (Only if soaking)
1/2 tsp baking powder .05
1/4 cup olive oil .25
Dash kosher salt .05
To Soak:
Combine flour, water and apple cider vinegar the night before. Allow to sit covered with a towel on the counter for at least 12 hours. When you are ready to prepare tortilla's, fold in the baking powder, salt and oil. Knead until a nice ball forms. Add a bit more water if necessary.
If you aren't soaking, skip the apple cider vinegar:
Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl with a whisk. Add in oil and water (1/2 cup at a time). Add more water as needed until you can form the dough into a ball that is dough like and not dry. If your dough is too wet, add a bit more flour. Once you have a nice ball of a dough consistency, divide it into about 10 smaller balls (I make a few more because some I make toddler sized).
Roll each ball out using a rolling pin. Mine end up all a little different in size, I roll them relatively thin as they do puff up a bit during cooking.
Preheat a griddle over medium, cook each tortilla for about 30 seconds per side. You may get little puffs, I stick a knife in them to deflate as they are cooking.
We prefer to eat them warm... but you can chill in the fridge for later use as well!
Hubs enjoys dessert tortillas... a warm tortilla with a dab of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Serving Sizes and Dietary Guidelines
We follow the USDA guidelines for servings and food groups at each meal. This is because I'm a registered in home daycare and as such, must adhere.
Serving sizes:
Milk
1-2 yr: 1/2 cup or 4 fl ounces
3-5 yrs: 3/4 cup or 6 fl ounces
6-12 years: 1 cup or 8 fl ounces
Fruit/Veggies or 100% juice (Breakfast 1 fruit, Lunch/Dinner 2 fruit or veggie)
1-2 yrs: 1/4 cup each meal
3-5 yrs: 1/2 cup each meal
6-12 yrs: 1/2 cup breakfast, 3/4 cup lunch/dinner
Grains/cereals/bread
1-2 yrs: 1/2 slice or a 1/4 cup cooked cereal, pasta, rice or cold cereal
3-5 yrs: 1/2 slice or 1/4 cup cooked cereal, pasta, rice or 1/3 cup cold cereal
6-12 yrs: 1 slice or 1/2 cup cooked cereal, pasta, rice or 3/4 cup cold cereal
Protein
1-2 yrs: 1 ounce (snack 1/2 ounce) meat/cheese or 1 egg, 2 Tbs PB, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1/4 cooked dry beans or peas, 1/2ounce nuts/seeds, 1/4 cup yogurt
3-5 yrs: 1 1/2 ounce meat, cheese or 1 egg, 3 oz cottage cheese, 3/8cup cooked dried beans or peas, 3 Tbs peanut butter, 3/4 ounce nuts/seeds or 3/4 cup yogurt
6-12 yrs: 2 ounces meat, cheese or 1 egg. 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup cooked dry beans or peas, 4 Tbs peanut butter, 1 ounce nuts/seeds, 1 cup yogurt
Breakfast must include: 1 serving grain, 1 fruit and 1 serving of milk
Snack must include 2 items from different food groups (portion sizes are a bit smaller at snack time)
Lunch and dinner must include: 1 protein, 1 grain, 2 fruits and/or veggies, and milk
Serving sizes:
Milk
1-2 yr: 1/2 cup or 4 fl ounces
3-5 yrs: 3/4 cup or 6 fl ounces
6-12 years: 1 cup or 8 fl ounces
Fruit/Veggies or 100% juice (Breakfast 1 fruit, Lunch/Dinner 2 fruit or veggie)
1-2 yrs: 1/4 cup each meal
3-5 yrs: 1/2 cup each meal
6-12 yrs: 1/2 cup breakfast, 3/4 cup lunch/dinner
Grains/cereals/bread
1-2 yrs: 1/2 slice or a 1/4 cup cooked cereal, pasta, rice or cold cereal
3-5 yrs: 1/2 slice or 1/4 cup cooked cereal, pasta, rice or 1/3 cup cold cereal
6-12 yrs: 1 slice or 1/2 cup cooked cereal, pasta, rice or 3/4 cup cold cereal
Protein
1-2 yrs: 1 ounce (snack 1/2 ounce) meat/cheese or 1 egg, 2 Tbs PB, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1/4 cooked dry beans or peas, 1/2ounce nuts/seeds, 1/4 cup yogurt
3-5 yrs: 1 1/2 ounce meat, cheese or 1 egg, 3 oz cottage cheese, 3/8cup cooked dried beans or peas, 3 Tbs peanut butter, 3/4 ounce nuts/seeds or 3/4 cup yogurt
6-12 yrs: 2 ounces meat, cheese or 1 egg. 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup cooked dry beans or peas, 4 Tbs peanut butter, 1 ounce nuts/seeds, 1 cup yogurt
Breakfast must include: 1 serving grain, 1 fruit and 1 serving of milk
Snack must include 2 items from different food groups (portion sizes are a bit smaller at snack time)
Lunch and dinner must include: 1 protein, 1 grain, 2 fruits and/or veggies, and milk
Peachy Oatmeal Breakfast $2.82
For breakfast:
Oatmeal 10 servings (purchased in bulk for .42lb)
5 cups .42
10 cups water free
1 lb bag frozen peaches $1.00
10 Tbs of Rapadura .41
5 cups of milk $1.00
Breakfast for 10: $2.82
(Prepare oatmeal, add frozen peaches and Rapadura. Serve with milk)
This is one of my favorites! We can often get fresh fruit from friends orchards for free during the season or buy you pick for about $1.00/lb. When we are able to, we freeze and save for winter use. When we don't have them in the freezer, we stock up on sales or when the Dollar Tree has some.
Sub whatever fresh or frozen fruit you have on hand... blueberries, strawberries, applesauce...
Oatmeal 10 servings (purchased in bulk for .42lb)
5 cups .42
10 cups water free
1 lb bag frozen peaches $1.00
10 Tbs of Rapadura .41
5 cups of milk $1.00
Breakfast for 10: $2.82
(Prepare oatmeal, add frozen peaches and Rapadura. Serve with milk)
This is one of my favorites! We can often get fresh fruit from friends orchards for free during the season or buy you pick for about $1.00/lb. When we are able to, we freeze and save for winter use. When we don't have them in the freezer, we stock up on sales or when the Dollar Tree has some.
Sub whatever fresh or frozen fruit you have on hand... blueberries, strawberries, applesauce...
HM Whole Wheat Pancakes
Makes approx 20 pancakes, enough for 10 people: $1.65
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour .50 (To make GF, use 1 cup gf oat flour, 1 cup sorghum flour + 1/2 cup tapioca flour)
4 tsp baking powder .15
2 eggs .40
2 cups whole milk .40
Dash of kosher salt
2 Tbs honey .20
Combine dry ingredients with a whisk. Mix eggs and honey in a small bowl. Add egg mixture to dry, add milk. Whisk completely. Pour onto a hot greased griddle with a (scant) 1/4 measuring cup.
Cook until bubbles form and begin popping, flip. Cook until both sides are lightly golden.
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour .50 (To make GF, use 1 cup gf oat flour, 1 cup sorghum flour + 1/2 cup tapioca flour)
4 tsp baking powder .15
2 eggs .40
2 cups whole milk .40
Dash of kosher salt
2 Tbs honey .20
Combine dry ingredients with a whisk. Mix eggs and honey in a small bowl. Add egg mixture to dry, add milk. Whisk completely. Pour onto a hot greased griddle with a (scant) 1/4 measuring cup.
Cook until bubbles form and begin popping, flip. Cook until both sides are lightly golden.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Calzone and Salad = $5.96
Serves 3 adults + 4 or more children.
Honestly, I just throw stuff in to make the calzone crust, because I basically now the formula that works.
My recipe includes: warm water (100F)combined with about 1 tsp rapadura or honey and 1 Tbs of active dry yeast. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes until yeast "blooms".
Add 2 eggs lightly beaten and a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Mix gently.
Begin adding whole wheat flour. I stop adding flour when combining with the spoon gets a bit difficult. Then I sprinkled in some sage, rosemary and basil and a handful of grated cheese. I then proceeded to kneed by hand until a nice ball of dough was formed (add a little flour or water as needed to reach a nice, smooth, elastic consistency). I then allowed the dough to rest for about 30 minutes before separating into two equal pieces and rolling out to form the calzone crust.
If you need a recipe, you can use the basic recipe from Under 1000 Per Month (I like to add an egg or two in order to give more hold in a whole wheat flour recipe, usually you need to add a tad more flour to offset the additional egg liquid).
Now for the filling:
4 oz each grated mozzarella and grated cheddar (any cheese you have on hand will do).
1 lb meat of choice (cooked), tonight we used ground turkey sausage.
2-3 cups red sauce (Tonight we cheated and used canned pasta sauce. Once garden season comes around again, we will have enough tomatoes and sauce canned to get us through next winter---prayerfully!).
Veggies of choice (basically whatever is on hand... sliced mushrooms, olives, onions, zucchini.
Roll out each portion of your dough (you should have two smaller balls of dough) into a semi-circle about 1/4 inch thick. Top entire dough with sauce (we go light, but do whatever looks good!). Add fillings to one half of the dough. Fold empty side over onto filling side, crimp edges by bringing the bottom edge up and over the top and pressing between a thumb and finger (kind of like a pie crust).
Poke several holes in top with a fork. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top and place in a 350F oven for about 30 mins. Or until golden brown on top and cooked through.
Remove from oven, slice into appropriate portion sizes, serve with veggies.
Tonight, we didn't put veggies inside ours as there wasn't anything on hand that sounded right with our sausage and cheese... so we are enjoying the calzone with garden salad.
2 large calzone doughs= $1.00
Flour- $.30
Water- free
2 eggs- $.40
2 Tbs olive oil- $.20
1 Tbs yeast- $.10
sprinkle of salt- freebie
Fillings= $3.16
Cheese- $1.00 (used a couple tablespoons in crust, rest as filling).
Turkey sausage- $1.58
Sauce- $.78
Seasonings- $.10 (mixed into the crust dough)
Assorted Veggies or Garden Salad= $1.50
Total $5.96
For those who go cheeseless or meatless... this would be even less expensive.
Honestly, I just throw stuff in to make the calzone crust, because I basically now the formula that works.
My recipe includes: warm water (100F)combined with about 1 tsp rapadura or honey and 1 Tbs of active dry yeast. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes until yeast "blooms".
Add 2 eggs lightly beaten and a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Mix gently.
Begin adding whole wheat flour. I stop adding flour when combining with the spoon gets a bit difficult. Then I sprinkled in some sage, rosemary and basil and a handful of grated cheese. I then proceeded to kneed by hand until a nice ball of dough was formed (add a little flour or water as needed to reach a nice, smooth, elastic consistency). I then allowed the dough to rest for about 30 minutes before separating into two equal pieces and rolling out to form the calzone crust.
If you need a recipe, you can use the basic recipe from Under 1000 Per Month (I like to add an egg or two in order to give more hold in a whole wheat flour recipe, usually you need to add a tad more flour to offset the additional egg liquid).
Now for the filling:
4 oz each grated mozzarella and grated cheddar (any cheese you have on hand will do).
1 lb meat of choice (cooked), tonight we used ground turkey sausage.
2-3 cups red sauce (Tonight we cheated and used canned pasta sauce. Once garden season comes around again, we will have enough tomatoes and sauce canned to get us through next winter---prayerfully!).
Veggies of choice (basically whatever is on hand... sliced mushrooms, olives, onions, zucchini.
Roll out each portion of your dough (you should have two smaller balls of dough) into a semi-circle about 1/4 inch thick. Top entire dough with sauce (we go light, but do whatever looks good!). Add fillings to one half of the dough. Fold empty side over onto filling side, crimp edges by bringing the bottom edge up and over the top and pressing between a thumb and finger (kind of like a pie crust).
Poke several holes in top with a fork. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top and place in a 350F oven for about 30 mins. Or until golden brown on top and cooked through.
Remove from oven, slice into appropriate portion sizes, serve with veggies.
Tonight, we didn't put veggies inside ours as there wasn't anything on hand that sounded right with our sausage and cheese... so we are enjoying the calzone with garden salad.
2 large calzone doughs= $1.00
Flour- $.30
Water- free
2 eggs- $.40
2 Tbs olive oil- $.20
1 Tbs yeast- $.10
sprinkle of salt- freebie
Fillings= $3.16
Cheese- $1.00 (used a couple tablespoons in crust, rest as filling).
Turkey sausage- $1.58
Sauce- $.78
Seasonings- $.10 (mixed into the crust dough)
Assorted Veggies or Garden Salad= $1.50
Total $5.96
For those who go cheeseless or meatless... this would be even less expensive.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Money Saving Tips for Buying Dairy
We prefer to purchase organic milk, which can be expensive. Here's how I get it for half price.
Check dates at your grocer, talk to the stock person and find out how many days prior to expiration the milk is discounted. Also learn the time frame that the milk is discounted. This way you can be to the store right as it is being marked down to get first grabs.
I am able to get organic milk between $2.00-$3.00/gallon this way.
Check dates at your grocer, talk to the stock person and find out how many days prior to expiration the milk is discounted. Also learn the time frame that the milk is discounted. This way you can be to the store right as it is being marked down to get first grabs.
I am able to get organic milk between $2.00-$3.00/gallon this way.
Tasty Food Day One
For breakfast:
Oatmeal 10 servings (purchased in bulk for .42lb)
5 cups .42
10 cups water free
1 lb bag frozen peaches (from Dollar Tree) $1.00
10 Tbs of Rapadura .41
4- 1/2 cup milk servings .12
2- 3/4 cup milk servings .18
4- 1 cup milk servings .48
Breakfast for 10: .42 + 1.00 + .41 + .12 + .18 + .48 = $2.61
(Prepare oatmeal, add frozen peaches and Rapadura. Serve with milk)
For Lunch:
1 lb angel hair pasta .98 (or double batch homemade pasta .48)
4 oz grated medium cheddar cheese (Bandon 4.78 for 2 lb loaf) .60
1 cup whole milk .13 (2.00/gallon)
4 Tbs butter (Tillamook unsalted 4 cubes/ 2.00) .25
1 bag frozen broccoli cuts (Dollar Tree) $1.00
10 oz chicken from last nights roaster (purchased on a buy one/get one sale), $1.00
10 sm apples (free from friends tree)
4- 1/2 cup milk servings .12
2- 3/4 cup milk servings .18
4- 1 cup milk servings .48
(Melt butter, cheese and 1 cup milk in a saucepan over low heat. Boil pasta. Combine with cheese sauce. Dice chicken, combine w/ broccoli and add to pasta. Divide servings and top with grated cheese), serve with sliced apples and milk.
Lunch for 10: .98 pasta + .60 cheese + .25 butter + 1.00 broccoli+ 1.00 chicken + .90 milk + 0 apples = $4.73 ($4.23 with homemade pasta)
For Dinner:
1 lb ground turkey $1.58
5 cups brown rice made with 10 cups water $1.00
Cream of Mushroom soup $1.00
1 cup whole milk $.13
5 carrots, sliced $.75
1 bag frozen broccoli cuts $1.00
5 oz medium cheddar cheese grated .75
4- 1/2 cup milk servings .12
2- 3/4 cup milk servings .18
4- 1 cup milk servings .48
Dinner for 10: 1.58 turkey + $1.00 brown rice + Soup w/ milk $1.13 + $1.75 carrots and broccoli + .75 cheese + .78 milk = $6.99
(Brown turkey, steam rice, combine. Heat cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup milk in a saucepan over low heat. Combine rice, turkey, soup w/ broccoli, place in a baking dish, top with grated cheese and bake at 450 for 30 mins) Service with carrot sticks and milk.
Snacks:
AM-
4 cups dry cheerios .75 (on sale $1.50/box)
2 cups Raisins .30
water free
$1.05
PM-
4 1/2 slice servings of homemade whole wheat bread
6 1 slice servings of homemade whole wheat bread .65
1 cup peanut butter $1.00
water free
$1.65
Today's total to feed 10- $16.53
Breakfast $2.61
AM Snack $1.05
Lunch $4.23
PM Snack $1.65
Dinner $6.99
Oatmeal 10 servings (purchased in bulk for .42lb)
5 cups .42
10 cups water free
1 lb bag frozen peaches (from Dollar Tree) $1.00
10 Tbs of Rapadura .41
4- 1/2 cup milk servings .12
2- 3/4 cup milk servings .18
4- 1 cup milk servings .48
Breakfast for 10: .42 + 1.00 + .41 + .12 + .18 + .48 = $2.61
(Prepare oatmeal, add frozen peaches and Rapadura. Serve with milk)
For Lunch:
1 lb angel hair pasta .98 (or double batch homemade pasta .48)
4 oz grated medium cheddar cheese (Bandon 4.78 for 2 lb loaf) .60
1 cup whole milk .13 (2.00/gallon)
4 Tbs butter (Tillamook unsalted 4 cubes/ 2.00) .25
1 bag frozen broccoli cuts (Dollar Tree) $1.00
10 oz chicken from last nights roaster (purchased on a buy one/get one sale), $1.00
10 sm apples (free from friends tree)
4- 1/2 cup milk servings .12
2- 3/4 cup milk servings .18
4- 1 cup milk servings .48
(Melt butter, cheese and 1 cup milk in a saucepan over low heat. Boil pasta. Combine with cheese sauce. Dice chicken, combine w/ broccoli and add to pasta. Divide servings and top with grated cheese), serve with sliced apples and milk.
Lunch for 10: .98 pasta + .60 cheese + .25 butter + 1.00 broccoli+ 1.00 chicken + .90 milk + 0 apples = $4.73 ($4.23 with homemade pasta)
For Dinner:
1 lb ground turkey $1.58
5 cups brown rice made with 10 cups water $1.00
Cream of Mushroom soup $1.00
1 cup whole milk $.13
5 carrots, sliced $.75
1 bag frozen broccoli cuts $1.00
5 oz medium cheddar cheese grated .75
4- 1/2 cup milk servings .12
2- 3/4 cup milk servings .18
4- 1 cup milk servings .48
Dinner for 10: 1.58 turkey + $1.00 brown rice + Soup w/ milk $1.13 + $1.75 carrots and broccoli + .75 cheese + .78 milk = $6.99
(Brown turkey, steam rice, combine. Heat cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup milk in a saucepan over low heat. Combine rice, turkey, soup w/ broccoli, place in a baking dish, top with grated cheese and bake at 450 for 30 mins) Service with carrot sticks and milk.
Snacks:
AM-
4 cups dry cheerios .75 (on sale $1.50/box)
2 cups Raisins .30
water free
$1.05
PM-
4 1/2 slice servings of homemade whole wheat bread
6 1 slice servings of homemade whole wheat bread .65
1 cup peanut butter $1.00
water free
$1.65
Today's total to feed 10- $16.53
Breakfast $2.61
AM Snack $1.05
Lunch $4.23
PM Snack $1.65
Dinner $6.99
Daily Meal Table
My goal is to post our daily diet with cost here. Our meals aim to be well balanced for a multitude of reasons. I am an in home daycare, so I follow the USDA guidelines. We enjoy all natural, mostly organic and home made foods.
Our grocery tab is the one place I have control over in our budget... I can save money while still feeding our family healthy and tasty meals!
Our grocery tab is the one place I have control over in our budget... I can save money while still feeding our family healthy and tasty meals!
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